About the Artist
Mary Nees is a practicing artist, residing in the Appalachian highlands. She is an adjunct faculty member of the Department of Art and Design at East Tennessee State University. She trained at Cornell University, The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and earned her MFA in 2007 at ETSU. Her work is primarily abstract, rooted in a personal visual vocabulary exploring themes of mortality, the fragility of time and position, brokenness and Biblical hope. Mary also teaches in the Arts Corps, an enrichment program for disadvantaged kids in her community. Mary's work is in public and private collections nationally and internationally.
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Read and view Mary's Master of Fine Arts thesis: CLICK HERE
Curriculum Vitae
Education:
2004-2007 Master of Fine Arts, Printmaking, East Tennessee State University , Johnson City, TN
2001-2002 Continuing Education, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
1998-1999 "Advanced Theoretical and Critical Studies" The Barnes Foundation , Merion, PA
1983 "The Vatican Collections, the Papacy and Art" Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York, NY
1968-1972 Bachelor of Science, Design and Environmental Analysis, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY
Related Experience
2007-2010 Adjunct Instructor, East Tennessee State University
2007 Presented a paper, "Jonah Under the Vine Bower" at the Medieval-Rennaisance Conference XXI, Sept. 14th, University of Virginia, Wise, VA
2006-2007 Teaching Assistant (Instructor of Record), East Tennessee State University
2006 Guest Lecturer/ Workshop Instructor, Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, Shenyang, China
2006 Studio Assistant, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC
2003-2004 Artist in Residence, Printmaking Department, East Tennessee State University
1986-1989 Guest Lecturer, "Art Goes to School" Cherry Hill Public Schools, Cherry Hill, NJ
Solo Exhibitions:
"Signs in Gravity" Mountain Empire Community College, Big Stone Gap, VA Feb.18-March 28,2008
"Soundings" Tusculum College, Greeneville, TN. Sept. 24-October 19, 2007
"Soundings" Millennium Center, Johnson City Arts Council, Johnson City, TN. April 5-May 31, 2007
"Catalysis" Slocumb Galleries, Johnson City, TN, March 19-22, 2007
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2011 "positivenegative 26" ETSU's Slocumb Galleries, Johnson City, TN, February 14-25, 2011
"Appalachian Art Show, Kingsport, TN, March 3-25, 2011
"Mountain Visions 2011" The Reece Museum, Johnson City, TN, April 5-May 6, 2011
2009-2010 "From These Hills" Contemporary Art in the Southern Highlands, William King Regional Art Center, Abingdon VS< Oct. 23 2009-Feb.14,2010
The 9th Annual Exhibit of the National Arts Program, "Art in City Hall",
Philadelphia, PA, Dec.18, 2008-Feb.20, 2009
2008 "Female(s) Form(s)", William King Regional Art Center, Abingdon, VA
2007 "The Artist's Book" Slocumb Galleries, Johnson City, TN
"New Work" Reece Museum, Johnson City, TN
"Artistic R-evolution" Reece Museum, Johnson City, TN
"Interior/Exterior" Nelson Fine Art Gallery, Johnson City, TN
2006 "Appalachian Art Show" Kingsport, TN
"An Exhibition of New Work" Reece Museum, Johnson City, TN
"4x4 Masterpieces" Johnson City Arts Council, Johnson City, TN
2005 "The College Art Association Regional MFA Exhibition" Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, GA
"Mute" Reece Museum, Johnson City, TN
"Appalachian Art Show" Kingsport, TN
"First Tennessee Bank Exhibition" East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
2004 "An Evening with the Arts" Kingsport, TN
"First Tennessee Bank Exhibition" East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
"4x4 Miniature Masterpieces" Johnson City Arts Council, Johnson City, TN
2003 "An Evening with the Arts" Kingsport, TN
"First Tennessee Bank Exhibition" East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
"4x4 Miniature Masterpieces" Johnson City Arts Council, Johnson City, TN
"North Shore Artists" Johnson Heritage Post Museum, Grand Marais, MN
2002 Mural Arts Program Gallery" Philadelphia, PA
Bauhaus Gallery, Westmont, NJ
Atelier d'Art, Voorhees, NJ
"Continuing Education Student Work" Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Philadelphia, PA
Selected Awards:
2008 First place and purchase award, "Exploring the 23 rd Psalm" First Baptist Church Arts Festival, Nashville, TN
2008 Second Place, Appalachian Art Show, Kingsport Art Guild, Kingsport, TN
2007 Third place artwork, "Mockingbird" East Tennessee State University Student Art and Literary Catalogue
2005 Selected to exhibit at the Lowe Gallery, CAA regional MFA students, Atlanta GA
2004 Honorable Mention, Bank Show, Reece Museum, Johnson City, TN
2002 Honorable Mention, Continuing Ed. Student Show, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2002 First Prize, Professional Category, Merchantville Spring Arts Festival, Merchantville, NJ
1998 Second Prize, "Art Blooms" Cherry Hill Arts Advisory Board, Cherry Hill, NJ
1998 Honorable Mention, Annual Student Show, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
Selected Grants:
2006 Awarded a studio assistantship in printmaking at Penland School of Arts and Crafts, Penland, NC
2004 Awarded a scholarship to study collographs at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
1998-2000 Awarded a grant from the Violette de Mazia Trust to study at the Barnes Foundation, Merion, PA
1990 Awarded a scholarship to study painting at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
Work in Permanent Collections:
Natural History Museum, Gray Fossil Site, Gray, TN
Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, Printmaking Department, Shenyang China
Carroll Reece Museum, Johnson City, TN
Jackson State Community College, Jackson, TN
Amity Art Foundation, Woodbridge, CT
Critical Reviews & Publications:
Presence; An International Journal of Spiritual Direction, Vol 15,No.4, December 2009, "Minnesota Sumi 2", pp.1,43.
Christians in the Visual Arts 2008-2009 Directory, selected as one of the entrants for the "Visions" Juried Exhibition
Mockingbird 2007: East Tennessee State University¹s Award Winning Art and Literary Magazine. Third Place Artwork
Johnson City Press "Nees' Paintings are Journeys into the Human Soul" Allison Alfonso, p 6E (April 29, 2007)
